Doom Patrol #14
Doom Patrol #14 (vol. 2, November 1988) marks the first appearance of Dorothy Spinner, a girl with simian-like features whose power to bring imaginary friends to life would grow into one of the most emotionally resonant character concepts in the title's history — later becoming central to Grant Morrison's celebrated run. The issue also functions as a crossover bridge for Power Girl in the immediate post-Crisis DC continuity, tying together storylines Paul Kupperberg was simultaneously developing across multiple titles. As the penultimate issue of Larsen's interior penciling run on the series, it captures the Kupperberg-era Doom Patrol at a dramatic peak before the editorial handoff that would transform the franchise entirely.
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The 1987 Doom Patrol ongoing series was written entirely by Paul Kupperberg, who had championed the team since reviving them in Showcase #94 in 1977. Erik Larsen, who would later co-found Image Comics, penciled issues #6 through #15 of the series — with #14 representing one of his final contributions before moving on. Associate editor Robert Greenberger oversaw the issue, and a note in the letters column reveals he was simultaneously shepherding DC's adaptation of the film then known by its working title 'Outer Heat,' which was released as Alien Nation in 1988. Kupperberg's run concluded with issue #18, after which Grant Morrison took over with #19 and redirected the series toward the experimental storytelling that Dorothy Spinner — introduced here — would eventually serve.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Dorothy Spinner, created by Paul Kupperberg, Erik Larsen, and Jim Sanders III; she is depicted as a girl with an ape-like facial appearance and the psychokinetic power to bring imaginary beings to life.
- Dorothy's name is an intentional in-joke: 'Dorothy' references Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz, and 'Spinner' alludes to the tornado (a spinning wind) that carries Dorothy to Oz.
- Story title: 'Order and Doom'; Power Girl (Kara Zor-L) guest-stars and enlists the Doom Patrol in a battle between the forces of Order and Chaos against the Lord of Chaos Pythia.
- The plot sends the heroes into a chaos dimension where Tempest, Robotman, Karma, and Scott Fischer are left apparently dead by the issue's end.
- Written by Paul Kupperberg; pencils by Erik Larsen; inks by Jim Sanders III (interior) and Al Gordon (cover); associate editor Robert Greenberger.
- This issue was part of a Kupperberg-written Power Girl arc spanning Doom Patrol #13–14, continuing storylines from the 1988 Power Girl mini-series.
- Doom Patrol Annual (vol. 2) #1 takes place in continuity between this issue and #15, making #14 a pivotal hinge point in the Kupperberg-era narrative sequence.
- The issue was later collected in Doom Patrol: The Bronze Age Omnibus (DC, 2019), the first comprehensive collection of Kupperberg's Doom Patrol work, covering The Doom Patrol #1–18 and related appearances.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
Reprinted in The Doom Patrol: The Bronze Age Omnibus #[nn] (2020)
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